Improvement in ironing apparatus



l. G. CRAWFORD.

Ironing Apparatus.

v Patented April 6,1875.

- JAMES G. CRAWFORD, OF BOSTON, MASSAOHSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN iRoNlNe APPARATUS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 16 {,5911, (lated April 6, 1875; application filed August 3, 1874.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, JAMEs G. CRAWFORD, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Ironing Apparatus; and I do hereby declare that the following` is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The object of this invention is to produce a light and convenient ironing apparatus, in which the pressure is uniform upon all portions of the table and the labor of operating it very slight.

The nature of my invention, in detail, is fully described below.

In the accompanying illustration, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my ironing apparatus. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same, and Fig. 3 is a detached view of the portion of the device producing the pressure, most of it being shown in section.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts.

a represents an ironing-table. The upper side of this table is made concave, so that an equal pressure may be brought to bear upon all portions of it, as will be seen below. b represents the iioor or the base supporting the table a. c is the sad-iron, the bottom ot' which is made convex in shape, so as to move smoothly upon the concave table a. cl e is the frame, and j' the brace making a part of said frame. g g are knees screwed to the under side of frame c. Suspended between the knees g, and swinging thereon by means of the pin h, is the solid block lc. Suspended from the block lo, by means of a pin l, is a pipe or tube, m. The upper portion of the tube mis slightly out away in order to allow it to swing freely from the block 7c.

It will be seen that the block 7c can swing right and left in the knees g, and the tube m can swing forward and back from the block k. a is the connecting-piece between the pi pe m and rod lp, and encircles both. A set-screw, o, secures it tightly upon the pipe m. s is a bent rod passing from the rod p to the iron c, its lower end ssettin g into a socketin the smoothing-iron c, as usual. The end s' is bent alittle to one side in order to better allow the operator to work around it. s is a vertical rod, extending from the rod s up into the tube m.

t is a spiral spring, which presses the rod s down upon the smoothing-iron c. A pin, o, prevents the rod p from slipping out of the piece a, and the rod s from consequently dropping out of the tube m.

The iron c may be easily moved over any portion of the ironing-table a by means of the devices g h lc l m, and, owing to the concavity of the said table, the pressure is equal upon all parts. The convex bottom of the iron c prevents all creasing or marring of the articles to be ironed, and also allows the iron to be easily slipped on or off the table without the exercise of much strength. It is also a great advantage to have the pressure a perfectly perpendicular one. The pressure can be easily regulated by moving the piece n up and down upon the tube m, securing it by the set-screw 0, or by moving the pin o into a lower hole in the rod p. More holes can be provided in the rod p, if desired.

rIhe rod s is bent into the shape shown in the drawing, so as to provide room for the head of the operator when bending over to the work; and it also is convenient in hanging the rod upon the hook w when the device is not in use.

This apparat-us is very easily operated, not expensive, gives a perpendicular pressure, and the pressure is equal upon all portions of the table. Not only shirts, but collars, cuEt's, 85e., can be ironed in a most superior manner by its aid, as proved by actual experiment.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination of the knees g, block k,

pin l, and tube m with the spring t and rods p s s s, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

2. In an ironing apparatus, the combination, with the smoothing-iron,arran ged as described, of the concave table a, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination of the frame d ef, table a, sad-iron c, rods s s 3]9, tube m, connectingpiece a, nut o, pin o, and spring t, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

JAMES G. CRAWFORD. Witnesses:

HENRY W. WILLIAMS, L. W. WILLIAMS. 

